Love, Hate and The Price of Freedom
by kingdomfantasies
Summary: Aerith loves Zack. Zack loves Aerith. This is the start of a four year relationship with love, hate and the price of freedom. And of course flowers. {Rated T for some strong language and possible mild themes and violence.}
1. Prologue

**Love, Hate and The Price of Freedom**

_How are you? I wish I knew where you were. It__'__s already been four years now. This is the eighty-ninth letter I__'__ve sent you but I don__'__t even know where to send them anymore. I really hope that this last letter I am writing gets to you. By the way, the flowers are selling very well. They make everyone so happy - thanks to you Zack!_

_Love, Aerith xxx_

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I've lived in the Sector 5 Slums for as long as I can remember. I'm not too sure if I lived in Sector 5 before Elmyra came and helped me when my mother died at the train station. Elmyra has taken care of me like a real mother for years now too. She took in a little girl from the train station, something told me instantly she was a kind person. Living in Sector 5 lead me on to finding my church. The church is the one place I can go to that I know is full of light, hope and truth. Most of the time you'll find me in there. Beautiful yellow flowers bloom in a patch on the floor and to this day I still don't know how. You see, flowers in Midgar aren't particularly common. It's only really around my house and in the church where the flowers grow. They sure are a nice touch to the horrible conditions of the slums. For a while, the flowers just sat there being picked by me and transported to my garden however, one day and one encounter changed this completely. And this began my four-year long relationship with love, hate and the price of freedom.


	2. Chapter 1 - When Aerith Met Zack

**Author's Note: I just want to point out that in this, the dialogue in the scenes from the game 'Crisis Core' is modified from the original but still has the same feel to it. There will be original scenes and modified scenes in between the actual canon game scenes that I've followed correctly according to the storyline. This means that the story doesn't strictly follow canon but it's near enough the same. I've tried to make this Crisis Core from Aerith's point of view as she builds a relationship with Zack. **

Typical days include a visit to the Sector 5 Market and sometimes a trip to the Wall Market to get some rare supplies, but I never go alone. Not a single woman, girl or even boy would ever venture to the Wall Market alone. Going there includes the fear of getting taken and sold as a prostitute. Everyone who isn't a 'valued customer' tends to stay away anyway. The place has a pretty creepy vibe to it. The church is somewhere I'm guaranteed to spend a few hours in every day; there's no doubt about it. It could just be watering the flowers, or even sweeping up the dust. At the church, I feel at home with the Planet and I think the Planet can connect with me. Today though, nothing was like a typical day. Meeting someone who you think you feel an instant positive connection with is not typical in any way for me. Today, I met Zack Fair.

Everything seemed normal to start the day, it's a Sunday so I spend all day in the church. Most of the time on Sundays, I pray and tend to the flowers. While I was just grabbing my basket from the back of the church, I heard the loudest bang ever. For a second, I thought it was the church roof collapsing so I rushed like a bolt to the centre. Instead of seeing pieces of dark brown smashed wood all over the flower patches, I saw a man lying on the flowers. His face looked flushed and for a minute I thought he had stopped breathing. Even though I didn't know the guy, I was pretty concerned. Sitting there, I must have thought of so many possibilities or cures for why he was lying there. Out of all of them, shouting 'hello' seemed the easiest.

"Helllloooo?" I shouted at the man. Repeating hello seemed to work as I saw his hands twitching a bit.

"Mom? I want to help a friend. But I'm not too sure how. Everything is so complicated and twisted up. What do I do now?" The man asked. Giggling I shook my head but still shouted hello to him.

"Are you an angel?" The man asked again. He seemed to grin for a bit but afterwards kept a neutral expression. He was full of questions.

"Nope. I'm Aerith." I introduced. He seemed to smile and tried to sit up.

"Well, am I in heaven at least?"

"Not quite. Unless you count a church in the slums as heaven. It's certainly my heaven but I'm not too sure about yours." I informed with a smile. The man eventually got up by flicking himself up. Once he stood up, he looked like a giant next to me. He was at least in the 6' range. That was really tall compared to my 5' 4' stature. Brushing his long black hair back into it's right places he turned around to face me and looked at me directly in my face. Blood was already starting to reach my cheeks just from looking at him

"You came falling from above; you gave me a shock." I explained.

"So you're the one who saved me from eternal doom?" The man said smiling at me. Feeling the blood rush to my cheeks faster and faster, I turned for a second then continued talking.

"Not really, I only said hello a few times." I told him. Gosh that smile. Have I said how amazing his smile was? His laugh was worse. His laughing made my face go like a tomato.

"Thank you so much, Aerith. My name's Zack and I think I owe you something. Hmm, I definitely have to repay you." Zack said. He remembered my name? I wasn't equal to his Mom? Something inside me wanted me to do a girly squeal but I managed to contain myself.

"It's fine, you don't need to." I replied.

"No, no. How about one date?" He asked with a beaming smile. Knowing exactly what he said, I hesitated a bit. Not wanting to sound too desperate, I sounded as if I didn't know what he meant.

"What is that? That's so silly." I told him. Thinking he got the hint I left it there to see what he would say. Zack didn't speak for a bit and went for a little wander around the church. Just as he was about to step on the flowers I screamed at him. Seriously, what type of person wouldn't notice the flowers.

"What's wrong?" Zack asked confused at what I screamed for. The fact he didn't realise what he was about to do annoyed me a bit. Those flowers are the most important thing to me! Well, there's Zack and Elymra, but the flowers are important!

"Well, normally people would be careful around flowers." I scolded. He could tell I was a bit angry at him by my voice and expressions. I apologised straight away once he saw my face.

"Sorry about that. I guess I mustn't be normal then. I must say, flowers are a pretty rare sight. They're luxury in Midgar." Zack explained. Damn right he wasn't normal. He didn't really know the value of them to me so I suppose I could have been less harsh. To be honest, I don't even know if I was harsh anyway.

"They only bloom here in the church. Although, I have planted a few outside my house and they seem to be growing quite well." I said. The Planet must help the ones that grow outside the house. Even looking out the window now, I can see them sway about in the light breeze. Yellow flowers are the only ones that grow, I'm not too sure what type of flower they are but I know they're a pretty variety.

"If it were me I'd sell those flowers and make money. Midgar full of flowers, pockets full of money!" Zack said expressively.

Thinking about it for a while I walked around the flowers. Circling them I realised how pretty and wonderful a flower would be to the people of Midgar. They don't see fresh flowers very often so it would be a helpful thing to do. You don't have to charge that much I suppose.

"Midgar full of flowers, wallet full of money?" I questioned.

"Yup, and there you'll have a successful business!" Zack exclaimed.

"Never thought of it that way before. It's quite clever really!" I said gleefully.

We laughed together and he walked over to me again.

"Aerith, can you help me?"

"Sure thing, what's up?" I replied.

"I don't know my way around the slums really and I need to get back to the entrance of the top plates. Sector 1 being the entrance. Would you mind showing me the way?" Zack asked. I had two options. Leave the guy to get lost in an area he could potentially get murdered or take him back and spend a bit more time with a really sweet guy I'd just met. I went for the latter.

"No problem. You want to go now?" I offered.

"Whatever suits you, I'll just tag along beside." Zack said walking to the church exit. Walking in front we left the church and headed for the entrance to Sector 1 which is through the Sector 5 Market. The Market is somewhere I know very well and the people know me very well. People are mostly incredibly friendly at the Market however being the Slums and all, a few people are definitely on my avoiding list.

"So Aerith, what is it like down here? I've never really been down here before. I tend to stick to Sector 8 when I'm in Midgar." Zack questioned. Thankfully, he was making conversation that I just had to answer to; thanks to Zack for not making it awkward like I would have probably done.

"Normal I guess. I've never really seen above the plate. I just walk to the church in the morning, tend to the flowers and do chores and then visit the Market. it's not exactly the most exciting life ever but I love it. It's simple and that's the way life should be. Not full of complicated tasks and constant bother. Just free and flowing." I explained. My definition of normal must have certainly been different. This guy didn't look as if he'd just come out of the Sector 5, 6, or 7 Slums. He looked like a Sector 1 or 8 type man with lots of wealth and a great job to keep his life going.

"Suppose both our definitions of normal must be worlds apart, huh?" Zack said as if reading my mind.

Until we got to the Market, the conversation continued like that. I got to know a little about Zack and his life and he saw how boring and mundane my life was. Joy.

The Market wasn't as full as usual, it was late afternoon and the shops and stalls were starting to get less trade and selling out of the days stock. My regular shops were still open though, I always go to the late closing ones if I don't have time after church to go early to the Market.

"This is the famous Sector 5 Market you've been telling me about for the past quarter of an hour. Nice place, it's pretty big too." Zack commented looking around. The sight of a market like that must have been a new thing for him too. He looked like a excited child or a puppy.

"Hey! I've just thought of something! Seeing those stalls has given me an idea. Why not make a flower wagon? You can sell your flowers here but because it can move, you can sell them all over Midgar! Plus it could hold more than just some handfuls or a basket full." Zack suggested.

"That's not a bad idea! In fact, it's a really good one but how will I make a wagon? Trust me, you've never seen bad woodwork until you've seen me try to build something." I joked.

"I'll help you. I promise okay? I'll help you build a flower wagon then I'll come with you to help you open your new mobile flower-selling business. We can decorate the wagon so it will appeal to people more." Zack said eagerly.

"Thank you so much Zack." I said happily. A huge smile appeared on my face, and at that moment I knew I had found someone special. We walked on through the market side by side, Zack pointing out different shops to me excitedly. Feeling something warm on my hand, I looked down to see Zack trying to hold my hand. Clasping his hand against mine, he locked his fingers through my fingers and kept a light grip on them. Happily, I now seemed to bounce as I walked. This was an example of an unusual self that was literally bouncing with joy. Looking around with him, I saw one of my favourite stores and went over.

"Hello Aerith! With your boyfriend today?" The shop owner asked.

"I don't know." I said quietly. Again, I could feel blood rush to my cheeks. There has to be a way to train yourself to stop that, hasn't there?

"Oh. Hey, I think I've seen you before. Maybe on the top plates. I think you've found yourself a nice boyfriend there Aerith." The shop owner said kindly. At the corner of my eye, I saw Zack laugh at bit when the shopkeeper mentioned him being my boyfriend. I hadn't even known him for that long.

"Hey, is it okay if I have a look around this shop for a bit? It's one of my favourites." I asked Zack.

"What? The reason you brought me here was to go shopping for yourself, huh?" Zack said in a tone that was trying sarcastic. In the moment, I didn't realise and sulked.

"I guess not then." I said in a normal tone. Just before I was about to walk on, still holding his hand he realised I thought he was serious and apologised.

"Sorry, I was just joking! It's fine, you ahead and find something you like." Zack said letting go of my hand and standing at the side of the shop.

"Thanks. I'll only be a short while." I said before rushing into the shop. The shop was filled with different goods which were mostly women's accessories. Colourful bracelets, soft and silky ribbons and decorative scarves were just some of the items that were sold. Looking around, I saw a light pink velvety ribbon on the wall. It was quite big but it looked really nice. Not having any money, I walked out and saw Zack again.

"It seems like you have a lot of interest in this shop." Zack said,

"Yup, even window shopping here is pretty fun." I replied.

"Aerith?"

"Yes?"

"About when you said hello to wake me up? I still owe you, remember?" Zack reminded. I chuckled and turned to him.

"It's really okay. You were offering me one date right?" I recalled.

"You said it sounded silly though." Zack said remembering my comment on how silly a date would be. After spending some time in the market with him, I realised how silly it was to say that the date was silly. Deciding to admit why I saw it was silly I told him, "But that was because-" He cut me off.

"Then I suppose for helping me, I'll buy you a gift to commemorate our meeting today. Like a one day anniversary." Zack offered.

"Are you sure?" I asked seriously. He wanted to spend hard-earned money on me? I know he seems rich and everything but money is money and the times are tough here in Midgar for everyone.

"It's fine."

"Is the pink ribbon okay then?" It was a full 180 gil.

"Got it, I'll pay for it. Just wait here a second." Zack said before walking to the tills.

Zack came back a few minutes later with the beautiful pink ribbon wrapped in dark pink tissue paper in his hands.

"Zack. Thank you so much. I love it!" I said giving him a hug.

"I'll put it on for you." Zack said standing behind me and unwrapping the ribbon. For a man, he seemed to tie it perfectly and it fit well on the plait I had in at the back. Not that I don't think men can tie ribbons, I was just surprised for a man like him. Not that only certain men can put ribbons in; you know what, I'm going to stop now.

"Like this?" Zack asked.

"Did you make sure it's on properly? It won't fly off into the wind, will it?" I checked.

"Nope it's sorted."

"Wow! Thanks again. I promise to wear it lots. Hey, do you still have some time left?" I asked. Now I wanted him to take me on a date. In a way, the market was like a date, but since he hadn't said it was, I thought it was best not to think of it as a date. Zack checked his phone and nodded.

"Yup, how come?" Zack asked curiously. The corners of his mouth twitched as he tried to hide a smirk. He had caught on to what I was thinking about the date.

"Do you want to come to the park with me?"

"Like a date?" Zack said laughing.

"Yup! This time it is a really real date."

"Well I have no objection to that! Let's go."

Zack held my hand again and we went off to the park between Sector 5 and Sector 6 and 7. It didn't take very long, since it was only a few minutes away from the market. We entered the park and I could see members of SOLDIER passing us. They were wearing blue uniforms and had large swords on their backs. So did Zack, but a lot of men do now just for self-defence.

"Have you ever met a SOLDIER before?" I asked him. With him being on the top plates, SOLDIER members would probably be more common.

"Probably." He replied.

"I wonder if it's a happy thing being in SOLDIER." I wondered.

"What do you mean?"

"Heroes to children and protectors of the peace. That's good I guess but, they're not normal. They get some kind of special surgery don't they?" I asked. Stories constantly go around the Slums about Shinra and his band of SOLDIER troops and Turks. Apparently, according to the stories, they get enhanced with Mako energy so they can fight better. It's all stupid and rubbish to me still.

"I think so. I've heard tales." Zack said.

"Normal is best for me. Those SOLDIER people are kind of…weird." I commented. Zack looked a bit shocked.

"They're weird, huh?"

"And…they're scary too. They love fighting. They enjoy killing. It's kind of creepy for humans to think that."

Zack turned around in a few little circles then confessed.

"Actually…I'm with SOLDIER."

As soon as Zack said that I gasped in shock. My guilt levels had reached beyond the limit. He was with SOLDIER and I had just went on speaking about how wrong SOLDIER was. My one day relationship seemed over and done with.

"I'm so sorry Zack!" I cried.

Zack stood there rubbing the back of his long black hair. It got super awkward, super fast. Managing to break the silence, I tried to comment on the good things of SOLDIER.

"So pretty…" I said pointing at him.

"The face?" Zack joked still a bit upset.

"No! The eyes! They're so beautiful." I commented.

"You like them? Take a closer look. Eyes infused with Mako energy. A SOLDIER trademark." He said bringing his face closer to mine. The tension seemed to be building up. My cheeks! They decided to go tomato again, but I hoped he didn't notice. For a second, we stayed close. Close enough, that I could feel his breath against my cheek. He seemed to be getting closer every second and I almost wanted to kiss him. Knowing he might think I'm weird, I backed off and turned my head.

"Oh, you." I said laughing. I tried to cover my bright red face with my hand but his head seemed to follow mine.

"If you look into them, it looks like colour of the sky, right?" Zack asked.

"Yup, but not scary at all." I admitted. He seemed to cheer up a bit. The little conversation about his eyes seemed to erase some of my negative SOLDIER stereotypes away.

"You say these things about SOLDIER and I can admit myself that things haven't been right lately. Not normal at all." Zack said sighing.

Continuing, he asked, "What about you, Aerith? How's you life going?"

"Well, I was thinking it would be a normal day. Then some guy fell out of the sky." I told him.

"That's not all that bad. Certainly not normal though. Not even for the weird SOLDIER over here." Zack said beaming.

"Your not weird at all. I think your pretty normal." I replied.

"Anyway, I think I should get to know you better. What's your favourite colour?" Zack asked.

"Your asking me what my favourite colour is?" I said laughing.

"Yup, mines blue. Now what's yours?" He asked eagerly like a child. He was making sure he was making me laugh.

"As I can see your waiting so patiently, it's yellow. But a question like that seems far too inappropriate. Too personal." I tried joking. He looked impressed by my attempt at being humorous even if it wasn't brilliant.

"Sorry about that, I was just going to go and ask your what your favourite food was but that's way to rude." He said catching onto our conversation.

A few minutes later, a phone ringtone was audible. Knowing it was Zack's, I stopped talking. Zack answered the phone. I heard a few mumbled voices on the other end and Zack was just saying yes and no to the guy on the phone.

"Sorry, but I have to go somewhere. Work calls." Zack said sadly.

"I guess I should get going too." I whispered.

"Will I see you again Zack?" I asked realising he would have to go.

"Of course. I really want too. It was fun hanging out here with you Aerith. On our first date." Zack said emphasising the first date part.

"I hope that your friend is okay Zack." I said remembering him mentioning something about helping a friend when he was in the church.

"Huh? Where-"

"You talk in your sleep." I cut him off with.

"Yeah, it'll be okay. I know that now. I suppose it was thanks to you Aerith. That hello sure does help a treat. Say that to people more often, I'm sure you'll send smiles around the world." Zack said.

"Here's your phone. I put my number in under Zack Fair." He explained handing me my little flip phone.

"Goodbye, Zack. See you soon." I waved goodbye.

"Bye, Aerith. Love you." Zack said. before running off to the Market Sector 1 exit. Wait. He just said love you at the end of just a quick one with no attention to the wording; he sounded as if he really meant it. He loves me? Considering that was a few hours ago and it's still really fresh in my mind, something must have me loving that guy. That date, I hope was the first of many. Though I don't know when I'll see him again, I know he'll find me soon.


	3. Chapter 2 - Waiting For Love

**A/N: Hola! Firstly, I would just like to say thank you so much to anyone at all who has read the prologue and/or the first chapter! It's actually been really fun to see the global response to it. It's quite surreal that even though it hasn't had hundreds of views that this small fanfiction has been read in places going from right here in the UK to the other side of the world in places like China, Indonesia and the USA. Also thank you to the people in Iceland, France, the Philippines and Canada. There are that many countries I feel as if I'm watching Hetalia [just no Italian readers :-( ]. Secondly, I'm announcing that a chapter should hopefully be done every week and a half to two weeks. I'm trying to make sure they are grammatically correct, make sense to plotline and of course I'm spending time watching, reading and playing FFVII related stuff to get me in the mind of Aerith and Zack. Thridly, ENJOY! **

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Chapter 2 - Waiting for Love

Love is something that I've only experienced with my flowers and Elmyra. Elmyra is basically my mother so the love is unconditional and the flowers have stolen my heart for the past few years. It's been a few days since I last saw Zack in person. He's off with SOLDIER in Modeoheim today meaning he won't be back for a day or two. Thankfully, once he put his number in my phone he has never been off it Yesterday, it seemed like I was calling him for hours and hours. Again, our conversation was full of just getting to know each other. Knowing the basic facts is essential for a new friend. About the whole 'friend' thing. Never experiencing love or relationships with men means I have no clue how far to go. Do I say I love him? Zack said he loved me after hanging up yesterday which is a sign he likes me I guess. All my advice so far has come from Elmyra and she had a husband; that means it must work surely. Zack even offered to help make a flower wagon with me. He is really sweet and I do love him. With all the emotions I felt when I saw him and when I was talking to him, it's hard to wrap everything into one and actually tell him my feelings. Whether it be on the phone or in person, I have to tell him my feelings sooner or later. Elmyra said it's best to be honest with him from the start since that is the only way you'll get his trust. What she said it pretty true, after Zack admitted he was in SOLDIER I felt as if I trusted him more because he told me his job even though he knew I might not accept him. Of course I accepted him, it's doesn't matter what job he has. Everything became more real today, and things have never been happier and more peaceful.

"Hello there, it's Aerith Gainsborough, speaking." I answered not having a chance to look at the number.

"Hey, Aerith. It's Zack." I heard Zack say on the other side.

"Hi, Zack! Where are you now?" I asked.

"Just got to Modeoheim. Tseng managed to crash the helicopter but we're all okay. I met a new friend too, his name is Cloud and he's a new guy. I think I'm going to get along with him nice. How are you doing, Aerith?" Zack explained. Tseng is the leader of the Turks and a person I know quite well. Tseng has been issued with orders to capture me many times, luckily for me he abandons the mission and lies to Shinra for my sake. Admiration is the only thing I feel for him. He has the courage to lie to someone who is practically the owner of the world. If Shinra found out Tseng was keeping me away from them then Tseng would easily lose his job.

"Brilliant, Zack! You've got a new friend too. And for my life, it's good I guess. I managed to get out with a basket yesterday and I made 47 gil just from a basket full of flowers." I said proudly.

"I'm proud, Aerith. You'll be the best flower seller this planet has ever seen once we build the wagon once I get back from Modeoheim." Zack cheerfully stated. My face lit up at the fact he hadn't forgotten his promise of helping me with the wagon. For a second, I was worried he had forgotten but the fact he had remembered made me so happy.

"Thanks. I'm glad you remembered about the wagon." I said. I was so glad he couldn't see my face but I'm sure he could tell that I was on the verge of screaming with happiness just from my voice. I must seem way too peppy to some people at times.

"Hey, I'm sorry I have to go now. Bye, Aerith." Zack finished abruptly. Straight away before I even got a chance to say goodbye he hung up. Zack's voice changed a bit when he said goodbye, it almost seemed sad in a way. Walking down the path, I began to sense danger. Not to myself, but to someone dear to I knew. Elymra sprung to mind straight away and I had a suspicion it might have been the Turks or SOLDIER coming to take me away. Instead of walking, I sprinted from the church to my house on the corner of the two Slums sectors. Sharp rocks and bits of random road debris from the upper plates were scattered all over the path and some I could even feel starting to cut into the thick brown soles of my boots. It was all worth it if I was going to save someone. The Planet gives me hints, you see. The Planet warms me if something bad will happen to me or something bad will happen to someone I know or they know. Seeing the house, I knew I had to run faster and faster to make sure everything was okay. For all I knew I might have been running into unavoidable danger unequipped but that's the risk you have to take if you want to save family or friends. Outside the house was empty, no black cars were parked outside and dark surveillance helicopters weren't hovering over my home. Everything seemed a bit odd if it was Elymra that was in trouble. In case there was a lot of danger, I decided to try to creep in the house instead of entering straight away. Spy movies sometimes actually do good believe it or not.

When the door was fully open, I peered round the corner to find Elymra cleaning the dining table. She looked at me in shock because I looked so worried and was breathing heavily from running.

"Aerith? Are you okay, dear?" Elymra asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, what about you? Something was telling me there was danger so knowing it might have been the Turks coming to look for me I came here to make sure. Obviously it was a false alarm." I said quite relieved. Once I got my breath back, I sat down at the table with Elymra sitting opposite me. She straightened up the flowery table-cloth and looked at me seriously.

"Are you worried something will happen with the Turks? Is that what the Planet is telling you?" Elymra asked putting her cold hand on my hand.

"You could say that generally, but just before I got here, I felt pain as if someone dear to me was hurt. The pain wasn't physical, it was mostly emotional." I explained. Sitting there, I tried to go through in my mind people I knew that were incredibly important to me to see if it wasn't a false alarm.

Zack.

Zack was in Modeoheim where he could face danger at any moment because he was on a SOLDIER mission. As soon as he came into mind, pain rushed through me and I felt as if I was in his mind. Pictures of a dead griffin-like creature bleeding out on the floor then came in pictures of an older man with long black hair, who was carrying a mighty, powerful sword that was near the same height as him, fighting for his life. Zack never came up in these images which made me think of the worst. He had died and the pain I was experiencing was his death. Pain shot up to my head stinging a lot every time it came. It was like the bitter waves on a freezing day at the beach, the pain came in powerfully then came out gently. As it increased, names flooded through my head. Genesis, Angeal and Sephiroth. Surely these had to be others involved with the mission or something? Zack had never turned up yet and by this time I was on the floor with tears flooding out of my eyes. Somehow, I didn't even notice I had done that and I looked completely astonished when I finally snapped out of the phase of pain.

"Aerith? Please, listen. It's okay." Elymra said soothingly as she knelt on the floor next to my weeping self. My knees shifted up until they touched my chin and I cried into my knees. Never before had I really cried like that. Sometimes I guess we all have to let out emotions out.

"It's just like a bad dream but worse. Elymra, Zack's dead." I croaked. Elymra looked at me with wide eyes. She knows now how much I like him and how long we spent on the phone those few nights before. Even when I was at home I had talked about Zack since I had met him.

"How do you know?" Elymra asked.

"I don't know, but I just had a vision from the Planet. Zack is the only one dear enough to me apart from you and Tseng. He's was on a mission and I think he was battling." I managed to choke out. Elymra gave me a tissue to dry my eyes with.

"Aerith, it mightn't be a message he's dying. Someone might be feeling pain emotionally." Elymra reminded me. When I was told about the Planet's messages, I was taught that it wasn't just physical messages however since the Turks and Shinra have constantly been a threat, my mind automatically skips to the worst.

"Your right, I'm sorry for getting all worked up and worrying your day." I whispered. Elymra heard me and pulled me into a tight hug.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, I understand why your sad anyway. You don't even know what's hurting him. It might just be something small." Elymra comforted. She was right again. Elymra is always amazing at giving advice.

"Your amazing at giving advice, by the way. Thank you." I thanked, breaking away from the embrace. Elymra looked at me with calm eyes trying to project her aura onto me. It must have worked because I felt calmer the second she began reassuring me.

"Aerith, could you do something quick for me?" Elymra asked, still adding a kind and gentle tone to her voice.

"Of course, what is it?"

"Take these seeds to the garden and plant them. I found them in the market the other day. Some guy was selling them claiming they were a rare type of flower seed exclusive to the Great Continent." Elymra said handing me the brightly packaged flower seed bag. The seeds were regular sized with black stripes down a yellowy white seed. Before I walked out to door, I gave Elymra a quick smile then closed the door behind me and headed to the garden. Our part of land is the home in Midgar of flowers and crops. Elymra tries to grow as many useable fruits amd vegetables as she can to save expensive and tiring trips to the Sector 8 produce markets. Elymra isn't that old, her features are maturely fair but frail. Personally, I couldn't be bothered to trek to Sector 8 every morning either. I still have to visit the bakers on a Tuesday and Friday however they are just near in Sector 7. Quickly enough, the seeds were spread out across the damp soil ready to grow into beautiful flowers. Maybe the flowers will grow in time for mine and Zack's flower wagon. As soon as I was done with that, I headed back inside with vegetables I picked out while I was there.

"Thank you so much, Aerith. And for all your hard work today and of course every day. Here's two hundred gil." Elymra said beaming with smiles. Just as excited, I gave her a quick squeeze and stared at the money. It wasn't often Elymra would give her savings out. Unless it was charity or for important essentials, she was struggling with a budget even though it's just the first quarter of the year. Last time I checked, doing a bit of cooking, cleaning and planting isn't exactly two hundred gil worthy. Of course, her generosity told her to give me a gift and I took it happily. Elymra even set aside fifty for Zack since she heard way too much about him from me. The message had interrupted my afternoon prayers so I decided to head about to the church to finish off.

As I was heading there, I felt more positive about how Zack was doing. At least I knew he was in no real danger. The large, wooden doors of the church creaked open and revealed a man kneeling and crying before the altar where the flower patch laid. The particular man turned around showing his red face, proof he had been crying for a while. The man was Zack.

Rushing over, I knelt down behind him and hugged him from behind. This was the pain I felt. His pain was my pain.

"I came back early in a Shinra helicopter. Are the flowers doing good?" Zack choked.

"They are. I've prayed for you. Guess I didn't pray hard enough." I said enclosing him in my arms even tighter.

"Your prayers worked. He didn't go as a monster." He whispered. It was quiet but loud enough I could hear it in the silent, echoic church.

"If you don't mind me asking about this, I saw a vision of fights earlier. Who was it, Zack?" I asked calmly.

"Angeal. He was my mentor. A 1st Class SOLDIER. The only one who mattered in SOLDIER." He said softly before crashing down and erupting into tears. Nothing was more painful in my head at the moment than seeing Zack cry. The thought of death also made me a bit saddened. The name Angeal seemed familiar too. I think it was because he was in my vision from the Planet earlier. Zack had lost an incredibly dear friend by the sound of his story. Trying the best I could to lift his head, I smiled and stared into his eyes softly but seriously. He seemed to catch on and sat up properly next to me.

"Your smile brightens things up, you know?" Zack said trying his hardest to smile back. Even though he was trying to get over part of it then and there, his level of hurt was understandable and serious.

"Thank you. Your going to be alright, his soul is in the Lifestream and he will be safe there. I know it." I comforted. Of course he still didn't know by secrets or my ability to talk and sense things from the Planet but it seemed like a thing that would cheer him up.

"I know. Do you want to pray? I feel as if you could conduct a prayer better than me. As guilty as I am, I never go to church as often as I should. Prayer isn't something I'm trained in." Zack asked.

"Yes. You shouldn't feel guilty as long as you know and believe. I will start. Can you bow your head and close your eyes for a moment please?" I said whilst doing so. The both of us sat there and prayed about our troubles. I prayed for his welfare in SOLDIER and the lives of the people in Midgar then went on to talk about the passing of Angeal, Zack's friend. Not knowing much about him, I merely spoke about how tragic a loss is and that his life was honourable. Zack did mention his values and virtues were a key part in his everyday way of thinking. He seemed like a very kind and likeable gentlemen. Someone who it would have been nice to meet as some point. Zack was still quite upset when we finished out small service. A few tears did release themselves from his eyes during the prayer.

"That was memorable and a great testimony to his life here. Thank you so much for doing that, you have no idea how nice that was to listen to." Zack thanked giving me a hug. We stood up together and I looked up at the light coming in from the gigantic hole in the roof. Moving my head in his direction, hereached down and kissed the side of my cheek. His lips felt warm on my cheek making me blush afterwards. Blushing was such a habit. He pulled me into a tighter hug afterwards and I could feel his warmth radiating off his body. Swinging about a bit, we seemed to do a little dance around the church. The cool air was coming through the hole in the ceiling where the sun shone down. We were stood under the light which seemed to illuminate Zack's face even more. Light beamed into his mako blue eyes making them twinkle like a clear sea.

"You've always got that cute blush too. There's a million things I could say really. Your smile, blush, eyes, personality and of course unbelievable faith and creative gardening skills." He half joked. That was it, my cheeks felt as if they were on fire and probably looked it too from his point of view. Not knowing whether to be embarrassed or happy I put my head onto his shoulder and he placed his hand on my head and the other wrapped around my waist, not wanting to let go. There was nothing in me that wanted him to go.

"Stop it now or I'll end up drowning in stupid old compliments." I joked. He laughed a bit then looked directly and deeply into my green irises.

"Aerith, I want to stay here with you. I just wish there was some easy way out of my job." Zack said honestly.

"I thought you loved work though." I said shocked at what he was telling me.

"I know, but I love you Aerith. No job can come before that even if it was to rule the world. All I need is you now. Something is telling me you're the one thing I'm missing. Even though we've only known each other a few days, I still know there is something between us." Zack confessed.

"Have you ever loved so much that someone died for it?" I asked strangely. The words seemed to spill out of my mouth somehow. After saying it I regretted the question thinking of what happened to his friend. Straight away I apologised.

"I'm so sorry Zack. I can't believe I even said such a thing." I cried. Nothing seemed to affect him, we just silently stood there wrapped in each others arms.

"Yes." He whispered. No tears came. Just a simple answer.

Looking up at his face, I saw another side of the confident man that literally fell into my church. Someone who cares and has emotions. Before meeting him, I'd always thought people in SOLDIER were horrible killers without compassionate hearts or minds. Zack is the complete opposite. His cold hand touched my face and he rubbed the tear that came out of my eye away. His smile this time wasn't like the ones he has shown me before. It was filled with regret and sorrow.

"Aerith, do you want to come to Costa Del Sol with me next week? Shinra are sending me on vacation for a bit because of the lack of missions." He asked. I froze. He was being so kind however if it was a trip organised by Shinra, there could be security anywhere ready to get me.

"Will there be SOLDIER members and all the Turks there?" I whimpered. The thought of being captured was already making me shake.

"No. Just me, Tseng and another Turk called Cissnei. She's really friendly for a Turk. Just like Tseng in fact, I think you'll become friends. Tseng is really friendly by the way." He explained. Relieved enough, I agreed to the trip thinking it would be a chance for me to get out of Midgar for once. Once I accepted, he flung me up in a circle through the air laughing at my shocked face.

"What was that for?" I giggled.

"Just my excitement, that's all." Zack said happily. His mood had changed and it was for the good. We spent a bit longer in the church discussing flower wagons and the trip. He explained that Shinra had booked a train and ferry tickets for them and that he would pay for my transport. The villa that has been rented by Tseng is big enough for four too. Something is telling me I've got a lot less to worry about by going then staying in Midgar. If anything does go wrong there is Zack and Tseng there who I know I can trust. This Cissnei though, will have to earn trust. None of the other Turks apart from the main 4 are people I like. Anyone else seems to hate me and wants to send me to Professor Hojo so they can get a raise or promotion. It's really horrible that they would want to send another human being like them away for experimentation. What was the difference anyway? I am a human after all. The holiday was something good and new to look forward too and it would probably be the next time I could see Zack again.


	4. Chapter 3 - The Holiday (Part 1)

Chapter 3 - The Holiday {Part I}

The holiday began today. The four of us departed from the train station early this morning so we could catch the nearest train to Junon to get a ferry. It didn't really make sense to me why we had to go all the way to Junon to get a ferry when you could get a boat and cross from near Midgar. Shinra was probably the reason. Zack mentioned when he first proposed the trip that Shinra was paying for all the tickets and that he had paid for my way across the continents. It's nearly been a week since we had the moment in the church and I still get a warming feeling just thinking about it. When I got back home that day, I think I overdid it on the emotion. Elymra stared at me in shock for the first five minutes of my arrival. Everything about me and Zack in the church just rushed from my brain to my mouth and I'm sure I left out no details. She kept mentioning how emotional she was because I was growing up. Until the day I marry and move out, I'm never growing up from the Aerith I am today. Mentioning the trip was something I left out. Deciding to wait until the next morning at breakfast, I rushed myself upstairs to avoid spilling it out. Elymra would be worried at the prospect of me potentially leaving Midgar for more than a day so it wasn't something to discuss whilst she was half-asleep. When I did tell her the next morning, her emotions did the complete opposite of what I expected. Instead of looking in worry, she was over the moon and yet again decided to give me the 'your all grown up' conversation. Of course there was plenty questioning about the others on the trip and what it was for. Elymra could see the trust in my eyes and knew Zack and Tseng would take care of me if this Cissnei turned out to be a pain. Zack managed to get a long break to come and see me the other day. He wanted to finalise that I was coming on the trip so he could get tickets booked.

"Aerith, are you sure you want to go? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable with the Turks around. " Zack asked with concern.

"I'm sure. It's going to be good fun." I said with a cheerful smile. He looked at me for a few seconds to make sure I was sure about going then began to discuss what Costa Del Sol had to offer.

"Have you ever been out of Midgar before?"

"Nope. It's my first time. I've always wanted to go out but it's expensive." I lied. It wasn't the cost, it was the security.

"Your going to love it then. Everything is so different to Midgar." Zack said. Zack began to explain the mysteries that lay outside of Midgar. Things like vast, sandy beaches next to warm, clear blue seas and a place called the Golden Saucer were mentioned. This Gold Saucer seems fun; Zack said he will take me to see a real life chocobo compete in a race. The Chocobo Racing has been shown on televisions however I've never come face to face with a chocobo. Other things there sound fun too; there are games and attractions to go on. Zack eventually ended up lost in thought as he seemed to get quieter and started to mumble. At this point, I was already fantasising anyway so I didn't really notice him begin to do that. From then we talked for a few hours on the matter, everything seemed too good to be true. Midgar sounds like hell compared to the other places around the world. Zack left and I decided to prepare for the holiday. Zack had given me a preparation list if I didn't know what to pack. He had listed the main essentials plus sun creams, sunglasses and other beach resort essentials. The only thing I didn't already have in the house was a swimsuit. Even though I told him I hadn't swam before, he still said everyone needed a swimsuit because that's what everyone wears whether they go in the water at the beach or not. Elymra interrupted me packing and noticed me thinking about the swimsuit item.

"A swimsuit is essential for Costa del Sol! Since you like Zack and I guess Zack is a typical man we need to get you something a bit different." Elymra said with a cheeky grin on her face. I did not like what she was up to. Somehow, in her closet there were about four or five different swimsuits, all vibrantly coloured and two parts.

"Why is there two parts to the swimsuit?" I asked blushing a bit at the idea of wearing it.

"It's meant to be like that. Aerith, everyone wears these at Costa del Sol. I bet even this Cissnei character will have a two piece suit so it's best you have one too. Which one do you like best? I've never worn any of these. They were meant for a trip out there a few years back. Actually many years back." Elymra exclaimed holding out the different styles. There was a flowery, feminine swimsuit with a light pink top covered in little flowers the matching colour and the bottoms were matching too. There was also a bright orange one with a white and orange striped top and plain orange bottoms. Looking at it I pictured myself looking like a traffic cone. It wasn't my style. In the end after deliberating over the different styles I ended up with the first feminine flowery swimsuit. It was the prettiest and the least crazy. Elymra is seeming to hide a double life underneath that simple, green frilled dress. The swimsuit was packed and I was ready to go. The next few days were full of me getting incredibly hyped up for the holiday. Elymra compared me to a squirrel a few times during the days leading up the holiday but my excitement distracted me. The moment of departure finally came this morning and I travelled to the train station. Without even having to double check, I spotted the Turks and Zack at the main platform. Zack was dressed more casually than usual. Most of the time he was wearing his full SOLDIER uniform however he was looking more relaxed in a navy blue t-shirt and loose black jeans. Tseng shot me a warming smile and I knew that was trying to assure me that I was safe. Maybe not with Reno around. He's always clumsy in the worst situations. Shinra nearly caught me once because his fake attempt at catching me nearly worked when some more Shinra officers came because Reno 'accidentally' phoned back-up. Reno had randomly turned up too, I guessed he was joining us and I began to consider things about my safety. Not just my safety from Shinra but my physical health too. Scanning the Turks, I saw they were all dressed casually too. Everything looked perfect. A girl who looked a bit older than me stepped forward from behind Reno and Tseng. She had flaming red hair but not as vibrantly shaded as Reno's and was wearing a wide, welcoming smile on her face as she came to greet me.

"Hey! You must be Aerith. Zack's been talking about you a lot at work. All I hear when I'm on my break from him is, Aerith this and Aerith that. It's a pleasure to actually meet you. I'm Cissnei." Cissnei greeted cheerfully. I'm looking forward to getting to know her; she seems like a nice person from first impressions.

"It's nice to meet you." I said in reply returning her smile. Zack looked at his watch then realised that the train was coming in.

"Guys, let's go the train is here. I've got the tickets so I can just show all of them at once." Zack told us whilst struggling to get on the train with his and Reno's suitcases. Reno was also lazy as well as being clumsy. He's not the best good luck charm to have around. Once we got on the train and found out seats, Zack came and slumped next to me putting his hand around my shoulders straight away. Laughing at him, Reno and Cissnei came and sat opposite us in a four where as Tseng pleased himself in his own little corner of the train.

"Hello lovebirds! I haven't seen you in a while Aerith, how are you?" Reno asked. Realising Zack still didn't know I was on the run constantly from Shinra and that I was an Ancient, I tried to discreetly, without Zack or Cissnei seeing, give him a look to lie in the next sentence if anything was asked. It was a large request for someone like Reno but the way he responded with his face seemed to say that he understood.

"I know, it's been a long time. Since we were in primary school in fact. I'm fine, are you?" I lied hoping Reno would catch on.

"Yeah, I got a job in the Turks as you can obviously see. I'm glad you're okay and that you've found love in the form of Zack Fair the most annoying, self-centred, crazy, cheesy typical SOLDIER I have ever met." Reno said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Zack seemed to catch the sarcasm and acted offended to play along with the act. Both Cissnei and I laughed at them so they saw it as a successful joke.

"How long have you two been going out?" Cissnei asked relaxing more in her seat.

"A few weeks." Zack replied smiling at me and kissing my forehead. Reno noticed me blushing and quickly made a comment on it.

"She's absolutely smitten! Look at her cheeks, they're like the colour of that greasy old woman who works night shifts at Shinra's lips! She really needs to learn to control her lipstick." Reno laughed. Cissnei playfully slapped him on the arm because his bad analogy.

"I seriously think that's the worst comment I've heard from you. Ever. And most of the things you say are moronic anyway!" Cissnei joked getting a fake sad face from Reno in return. This left me confused and embarrassed. I couldn't really go that red from Zack just kissing my forehead, right? He hasn't even kissed me properly get. Gosh, I'm scared for that moment. Cissnei still looked sleepy sitting in the corner and I could see her eyes flickering open and shut at every jerk of the train.

"So, Reno how is that girlfriend of yours? What do you call her again, was it Jessica this time or was it Kelly?" Zack asked trying to joke at Reno's on-off relationship problem. I already knew about this since I had to help Reno get Kelly back. It wasn't my favourite experience.

"It's Jessica and she's new. Kelly dumped me after a year and a half together. She said it was because I was checking out other arses in a restaurant I took her to so she decided to tell me there. Instead of being a normal person and telling me, she told me then took the wise decision to splash red wine all over me and my clean, crisp white shirt." Reno explained. Reno is one of those people who you are friends with because of their faults. He has many faults but I don't care. One of those is using a lot of choice language when he is really angry at someone or something. The worst he has done is change the lock on someone's house but that was sorted out quickly. Zack found this funny and asked how long he had been out with Kelly in total and Reno was stuck. After about five minutes of easy mathematics, he finally calculated a total of three years and about two months. On and off six times. The rest of the train jounry was full of sleeping and talking. Half ways through the train journey, I fell asleep on Zack's soft shoulder and got the rest of the journey's length sleep. By the time the train had stopped, it was around midday. We would be on the ferry for at least four hours so myself and Cissnei took this time to go to the lounge inside the ferry and relax and sleep a bit. Zack insisted to come along so he could look after me. Sitting down next to me, he tapped his shoulder signalling me to rest my head on his shoulder to sleep on. It was a comfortable four hour sleep until we eventually arrive in Costa Del Sol near the end of the day. Costa Del Sol is still hot at night at the heat was a huge change from the coolness of Midgar and the ferry lounge. Cissnei and I came off the boat freezing but were warmed up in about a minute. Tseng lead us in a group towards the block of villas near the harbour where we would be staying. Zack stayed with me at the back of our group tightly holding my hand as we walked along the sea front. The villa was grand and spacious with two storeys and a large balcony to look out to the glistening sea from. There was an atmospheric calming as we all entered the villa and dropped our suitcases in the passage. We all huddled around the cream coloured sofas in the centre of the lounge room to discuss sleeping plans. Tseng lead our discussion.

"We have three rooms between the five of us. One of the rooms has a split feature so it's essentially two bedrooms classed as one." Tseng began.

"Why not just say we have four rooms then? Why do you have to say we have three rooms and by the way there's another one too?" Reno chipped in. Not regarding Reno's comment, Tseng continued on.

"These rooms are private enough. They have a bathroom each and all of them apart from one have single beds. Reno, since I am worried about you endangering anyone or thing I have decided to share a room with you. Our room is the one upstairs with a starfish on the door. This is the split room so it's the same suite just with two smaller rooms. Cissnei, you can have the single bed room and if it's okay and since you're a 'couple' or whatever, I've given you the other double room." Tseng explained. I have no problem sharing with him I guess. I'm in the room now and it's been okay so far. Zack didn't have much to say. Tomorrow, we decided we are going to the beach straight away to start our holiday relaxing. I just really hope nothing serious happens and I just want to have a good time on holiday with Zack. Yet again, he showed he actually loves me on the train this morning. I was just too tired to really notice.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hope you liked that and I promise it's going to get way more exciting in Chapters 4 and 5. The holiday is a bit of a extended part of the time Zack and Cissnei spend in Costa Del Sol near the middle to end of the game. Finally...**

**Thank you! I've put this at the end because I wanted to list all the countries where people have read or are reading!**

**United States, Canada, Germany, the UK, Poland, China, the Philippines, the Netherlands, Singapore, Finland, Australia, France, Austria, Sweden, Belgium, Japan and New Zealand! **

**Danke, arigatou, merci and thank you! Also, I love hearing back about my writing so remember you can drop those in a review. Just a bit of unrelated thanks, Reboot, my Portal oneshot is now up and is all about Chell and GLaDOS. That got such a good view count straight away so if you know anything or like (even love) Portal that's up on my profile too. I've mentioned about scheduling and stuff before so that's also all good. **


	5. Chapter 4 - The Holiday (Part II)

Chapter 4 - The Holiday {Part II}

Luckily, last night wasn't an issue at all. At first, I thought something would go wrong. It was going perfect for nearly a day so something was bound to happen, but it didn't. We stayed in the villa, Zack and Tseng had been out that night to get us some food and drinks for the kitchen and for our dinner. Cissnei cooked a delicious meal for us all and I baked a vanilla and chocolate cake for afterwards. After the meal ended, it was late; the train and ferry journeys had tired each one of us out to the brink of exhaustion. Zack hadn't been in the room, apart from having to dump his bag in it a few hours earlier. When we got into the room, Zack seemed to just crash down on the bed and relax straight away. Taking a few moments to see the room, it looked as if we had the largest room. The room was large with plenty of space to walk between the bathroom entrance and the main bedroom. The beds were both single and covered in a plain red and white duvet with two matching pillows. The room had a balcony to itself looking out to the coast and the main strip of Costa del Sol beach. Sitting gently on the bed next to Zack's bed, I tried to start-up a conversation.

"The train journey was strange, wasn't it?" I mentioned hoping to get an interested response. Zack seemed so worn out that it was scary. Zack was constantly on his feet, moving and making sure he was heard.

"Strange? In what way?" He replied.

"Well, the procedure. I've never been on a train before either, it was a really weird experience." I expressed. Yesterday, I never mentioned it but the whole idea of the train scared me to death. I wondered how it moved as fast as it did, although I eventually found out when Tseng mentioned something about engines. Also, I wonder how it doesn't fly off the tracks! It goes at such an incredible speed, that it could just go off the track, and start to fly all the way into the sky. Meanwhile, Zack was staring into space.

"You haven't done a lot of normal things, in my view. I guess that's what makes us opposite; our outlook on things. I'm not trying to be cocky with this, but I've seen this world. I've seen Wutai and the cultural warp between Midgar and the country of Wutai, the bitterness and coldness of Modeoheim and Nibelheim and the lights and glamour of the Gold Saucer. Nothing would compare to going home though. That's the thing I miss most. Your constantly around your mother and that's something I would love to have around, even if she did get annoying. You see things like holidays, trains and sunshine as strange, where as I see it as normal and quite boring sometimes." Zack thought aloud.

It was as if he was spilling all of his thoughts out; everything he had wanted to say for a while. In his thought, he was right. Really, we came from different backgrounds all together. We are complete opposites that seem to work. He has seen the world numerous times and been everywhere there is to be where as I have stayed put in Sector 5 for most of my life. We stayed silent for a moment; I could tell he was tired by his deep thoughts and speech. By the morning, he would be back to his normal self. Happy, cheerful and a positive minded person. Zack eventually broke the silence with a snore. Giggling, I cleaned myself in the bathroom, cleaned my teeth, changed into some night-clothes and silently slipped into bed without waking Zack up. He much have quickly snapped into a deep sleep because, I managed not to wake him up, even though the grey alarm clock on the bedside table dropped to the floor with a loud bang.

Soon enough, I was asleep because I don't remember much apart from picking the alarm clock up and jumping into the soft cloud of springs called a bed. The next morning, Zack was the one to wake me up. The alarm clock mustn't have worked. Neither of us woke up before 9am when we wanted to wake. It was quarter past ten when I got up.

"Wakey, wakey! Come on, we've already missed breakfast! Am I going to have to drag you out of bed? I will literally drag you, Aerith." I heard a loud voice shout. Opening my eyes to a misty world, I saw the figure of a fully dressed man who looked a lot like Zack. Once the mist cleared, the figure had indeed turn out to be Zack; he was now jumping up and down like a crazy man.

"I'm getting up, Zack." I said tiredly. It didn't take long before I was finally fully awake and was properly aware of my surroundings. The bathroom was in front of me and I began to get ready. Elymra helped me with most of my packing (reference to the previous swimsuit crisis) meaning it was filled with clothes I wouldn't usually want to wear. Digging through my still packed suitcase, I found a knee-length light blue dress that would be alright for a day at the beach. My hair looked a right mess in the mornings. I jumped in the shower, and as fast as I could wash my hair with my favourite coconut scented shampoo. Instead of drying my hair, I quickly towel dried it and stuck it in a plait, using a hair tie and the ribbon Zack bought me to tie it up. When I came out of the bathroom, I was greeted with a huge hug from Zack.

"Finally, your awake! We're meeting the others at the beach, apparently we were too slow." Zack explained. The clock on the wall read ten past eleven.

"I have got to make sure I wake up earlier. It feels weird waking up so late." I said worriedly. At home, I always wake sometime around seven every day. We had said 9am since we had a long day but going out at eleven was just foreign. Exiting the room, we walked down the stairs, and I saw that Zack had already prepared a bag of essentials for the beach. Looking at the bag, I also realised he had been in my suitcase.

"Zack, did you go in my suitcase?" I asked taking the bag and placing it on my shoulder.

"Yeah. I'm sorry! I knew we would need things and I didn't want to wake you. You looked so pretty sleeping so I just went in the suitcase myself. Hey, we're boyfriend and girlfriend, what's there to hide?" Zack said in a loud and proud voice. I guessed this was his regular attitude to everything, he just hadn't completely showed it off.

"It's okay. From what I can see you only took the things we needed so I don't see a problem." I replied with a smile. When he said about hiding, I tried not to seem affected by it. He didn't know anything about me being an Ancient still and I planned not to tell him anything for a while. Being an Ancient, isn't exactly something I really want to broadcast; mostly because I don't want to die. It's nice being normal sometimes, and I would hate for it to be spoiled by the total fear of being found out. Zack still has close ties with Shinra, and it's clear he loves his job.

He grabbed my hand as we walked out the front doors of the villa. Locking the door, he placed the key in his pocket then, began to walk to the beach. Everything about the world around me was different. The air was fresh, clean and non-polluted. Nature was evident in every corner of the place, from the fish in the sea to the birds in the sky and even the people on the streets; life was everywhere. Colour was splashed everywhere on signs, posters and even the pathways. Costa del Sol already seemed like paradise, and all I had really saw was the port and the sight from outside of the villa. We got to the main strip near the beach. There was a visitors information desk, and the woman there seemed lonely, having a little rest on the desk. Zack lead us to the eastern end of the beach area before we stepped on to the beach. I was wearing a pair of flip-flops; immediately my feet were met with the touch of a grainy, warm substance called sand. The sand felt different on my feet to any other thing my feet have touched before. Zack smiled once he stepped on the sand, and took a deep breath of real fresh air.

"This, Aerith, is a beach. The others are somewhere here, Cissnei said they have a bright blue and white umbrella in the sand. Looking around, I quickly found the spot where Cissnei, Tseng and Reno were and waved over to them. Tseng was the first to catch sight of me and began to walk over to Zack and I.

"Hello. This is strange, it's twelve pm Aerith!" Tseng said laughing. Zack put his arm around my shoulders (he has a habit of doing that) and squeezed me closer to him.

"What can I say! She's a heavy sleeper." Zack told Tseng. Once we got to the spot, I saw that Cissnei was lying across a plastic bed with a pink towel laid on it. She was wearing one of these swimsuits everyone on the beach was seeming to wear. Just in case, I had put mine on underneath my dress, but didn't plan to take my dress off. Again, I'm not that type of girl.

"Aerith, Zack. Glad to see you two have made it. Reno's just over there talking to one of his college friends. This morning was restless. Mostly Reno's fault, he was the one who wanted bacon and pancakes then wanted to queue at the surf shop to get a board at eight o'clock this morning. He's crazy." Cissnei laughed with a grin. I could tell somewhere in her heart she had some feelings for Reno though, I don't think she felt them strong enough to confess them to Reno. The sun beamed off her darkened sunglasses as she turned to Zack. She then slid the glasses on her forehead.

"Are you two going to get sunbeds or are you going to go somewhere else?" Cissnei asked.

Turning to Zack, he looked at me with a smile and I knew he had a plan.

"I think we might go somewhere else then go for a walk to the market in town. We'll make sure to come back here at the end of the day. I was thinking of going to that new restaurant later if you're up for it?" Zack mentioned. It sounded alright to me; I was up for it.

"Sure thing! I'll make sure to tell Reno about it. I guess we will see you guys later, bye!" Cissnei said before getting on the plastic bed again and placing her glasses back on her eyes.

Zack and I walked further down the beach until we came to a part of the beach where hardly no one was pitched at. This part was around the corner in a place where we had curved around so much that you could only see part of the busy side of the beach.

"Why is there no one here?" I asked curiously.

"Because it's a part of the beach hidden under rocks. It's quiet and relaxing." Zack said. I looked in the bag and grabbed the two towels that had been packed. Zack rolled them out next to each other on the sand. He laid down on one and I followed lying next to him.

"This is relaxing, isn't it? I normally hate relaxing, but when it comes to the beach and holidays, I just can't help but have a few hours at the quiet beach.

"It really is relaxing." I whispered. I was too busy taking in the air and the beach to take notice of much else.

Zack and I must have sat there silently for at least a few hours before talking again.

"Aerith, this is perfect. I'm relaxing with my favourite person." Zack said sweetly.

"I'm your favourite person?" I asked.

"Yeah. My only favourite too." Zack said getting closer and sitting up now. I sat up to face him as he smiled at me. Zack was getting closer and my heart was thumping. Knowing what he was aiming for, I tried to steady my breathing and clear my mind. Again, our faces had to only be a mere few inches apart. I wanted to kiss him, I wanted to experience love properly, I wanted to know him. We stayed in the awkward, frozen position for a few seconds before Zack moved. He softly touched his lips against mine and that was the moment everything fell into place. Kissing ended up being like an instinct, I seemed to know how to do it. It was exactly what I was waiting for. Zack put his hands around my back pulling me even closer. I felt like I was in heaven. Putting my hands around his neck, he cupped my cheeks with one hand, whilst the other was still wrapped securely around my waist. Everything about the kiss felt real and alive. Zack broke the kiss but we remained close, our noses touching as we smiled at each other.

"I love you so much, Aerith. Nothing will ever compare to this moment; our first kiss." Zack said kissing me briefly on the lips.

"I love you too. I never thought I would say that so abruptly." I said.

I kissed him, I experienced love properly, I know him now.

Zack Fair, worlds number one greatest kisser and proudly, my boyfriend.

* * *

**Author's Note: This story has been a pain in the arse. I could have sworn I updated this on Monday when I was supposed to but it didn't actually go up. Then we got a new internet hub so I couldn't reply to ANYTHING until the 30th January. (and I couldn't watch Attack on Titan *-*) So when I put a FE fanfic up yesterday, I noticed that there was no Chapter 4. HMM. Now that's all fixed, it's up! Thanks for reading and I promise that unless the moon crashed into Earth between now and next week, there will be a new chapter up within the next 1 1/2 weeks. And remember to check my profile for all updates on my personal shiz, fanfic stuff and there is Love, hate and the Price of Freedom stuff there too. Aaaaannddd, I got most of my information and stuff for the kiss scene from reading fanfic and googling 'how to write a kiss scene'. Bad, I know.**

~ kingdomfantasies


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